Shadow and the Damned
by BiteWorseThanBark
Summary: Shadow is a demon hunter. His weapon/partner is the pervy she-demon Rouge. Together, they stumble across a small boy in Hell. They save him and take him in, unaware of the deep shit they're about to get themselves into. Human (or demoness in Rouge's case) characters! Warning: oodles of sexual references and swearing! Seriously, it's pretty bad... :,)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I ought to stick with my current projects but seriously, this one couldn't wait! I finished it today and was so damn excited that I couldn't help it! *sigh* ... That and I felt the intense urge to blow the dust off of Shadows of the Damned and be the smexy hispanic demon hunter with his beloved Johnson~~! **

**For those unfamiliar with the SotD aspect of this crossover (or just need a refresher), I've compiled notes at the end (Aren't I nice~?:3) to help you out... Even though you could just Google this stuff... Eh. Whatever.**

**Because this is SotD we're talking about, you should all be prepared for lots of sexual refernces and swearing.**

**Well then, enjoy, cabrons! Er... readers. And don't forget a lovely (or disgustedly horrified) review~! (03u )/ ~**

* * *

**Shadow and the Damned**

_Business as Usual... Or Not.**  
**_

They lurched from the shadows and crawled along the walls; long, clawed nails scritch scratching against the masonry, and beady red eyes burning through the darkness like demented headlights. One of the creatures crawled too close to a hanging lamp and it hissed, shielding its grotesque, decaying face with an equally grotesque and decaying hand. It quickly scuttled backwards into the safety of the darkness, eyes burning hatefully.  
Shadow smirked, twirling his identical twin guns by their triggers. "Come and get me." he taunted.  
Acting as though there was some prearranged signal, the demons hissed and screamed as one and launched themselves at the confident dark figure with the shiny platinum guns.  
The guns stopped twirling; slender barrels pointed at the toothy face of the closest demon. Shadow's lips peeled up in a feral grin, revealing pointier than average incisor teeth. He squeezed the trigger of the left gun.  
The shot escaped with a loud bang and the demon bone bullet sunk into the demon's ugly head. It exploded, blood bursting like a firework and showering its fellows with gore. With a scream, one of the demons scuttling along the walls launched itself at Shadow. Its bare sunken in chest made an easy target. His gloved finger pumped both triggers five times in rapid succession, tearing holes in the creature. He didn't take the time to watch it disintegrate, pivoting on his heel to fire at an approaching demon sneaking up behind him. The demon's left leg exploded and it fell backwards at the impact, shrieking. He performed another one eighty spin to face the main wave of demons. At this rate, they would flood him with their sheer numbers.  
"Maidenhead!" Shouted Shadow, feeling both flustered and like a total dick.  
The pistols in his hands chuckled as they transformed from a pair of elegant platinum pistols with bat wings stretching from both sides of the bodies into a single firearm; a submachine gun. It was bigger and strange looking than the average sub., with massive bat wings where the barrel should be. The wings shifted gently as though breathing softy.  
"I still can't get over your reaction to the names." the gun purred in a sensual female voice.  
Shadow growled with annoyance. "Why the need for such disturbing weapon names anyway?"  
"I'm a demon, hon." the gun replied in the same sensual purr, "It's in my nature."  
A harsh snort. "You'd be a pervert no matter your species."  
The gun laughed. "Too true! Now... let's whip these fuckers into shape!"  
Shadow grinned evilly. "No arguments here, Rouge."  
Then he pushed and held down the trigger. The wings' fingers immediately stiffened; each pointed at a separate section of the demon crowd, and a deafening hail of bullets ripped through them. Agonised shrieks pierced the air, blood sprayed, and one after another the demons fell to the might of the Maidenhead. Shadow laughed and whooped as the sleek machine gun easily mowed through the ugly masses.  
"Watch out for the crawler, Shadz."  
"Already ahead of you."  
Without turning or ceasing fire, the demon hunter leapt into the air. He slammed his metal plated hover skates onto the head of the sneaky demon; producing a combined squelching and crunching sound. Blood splattered messily against the cobblestones and his jean clad legs.  
_'Looks like I'll need to wash these again... Damn it! That's the third time this week!'  
_With an irritated growl at the thought of his already tight budget becoming tighter still, Shadow squeezed the Maidenhead's trigger harder.  
"Ooh... Being a little rough with me tonight, aren't you, hon?" breathed Rouge with a slight sussed pant in her tone.  
The demon hunter didn't respond to the sexual jab; entirely focused on the task of demon extermination.  
He soon realised that even the rapid firepower of the Maidenhead wasn't going to keep the demons at bay for much longer. Making a split second decision, he rushed toward the demon horde; body glowing with bloody red energy. "Chaos..."  
A jump and multiple somersaults through the air. Flawless landing in the dead centre of the crowd.  
The demons screeched wrathfully and lunged at him with their long, bloodied nails.  
Just as they were upon him, Shadow released the built up energy in one, big...  
"BLAST!"  
The energy exploded outwards in a rapidly expanding sphere of red. As soon as the demons touched it, they disintegrated, leaving behind smears of black that stank of burning and decay. The attack continued expanding; eradicating the rest of the demons and destroying sections of the surrounding buildings before dissipating. Dust and chips of brick and mortar rained down all around a now non-glowing Shadow and his audience of stinking demon smears. A severed arm twitched once before disintegrating.  
All was now deathly silent in the City of the Damned.  
Shadow released a disappointed huff. "Well... that was rather anticlimactic..."  
He seemingly carelessly tossed his gun behind him. Midway to the ground, the firearm was enveloped in a bright magenta light. The light and the weapon contorted until it solidified into a woman's shape. A pair of heels clacked a noisy landing on the cobblestones.  
"They're just grunts, Shadow. Weaklings. If you want a real challenge, you'll have to challenge the big bosses."  
"I already know that." Was the demon hunter's irritated reply. "But as we are now, we won't stand a chance."  
Clicking of heels, signifying her approach. Soon she was standing next to him, crossing her gloved arms across her ample bosom. "I'd say we're doing pretty damn well, if the demon smears are anything to go by." Rouge gestured at said smears, glossy lips twitching into an amused smirk. Shadow didn't return the expression. "You mean _I'm_ going pretty damn well."  
The busty demon woman cast him an annoyed glare and the large, leathery bat wings on her back twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
He didn't turn to face her as he answered.  
"It means that we aren't functioning properly as a team!" he growled with equal annoyance. "If you just took the time to practice with me more instead of loafing around."  
"Oh. So this is _my_ fault, huh?!" Rouge snapped. Shadow tilted his head, allowing crimson eyes to look down at her properly. "Yes," the dark haired demon hunter said, "it is."  
Rouge's hands were planted firmly on her hips. She scowled up at her stoic companion. "Is it really so wrong for me to want some semblance of a life outside of helping you with your little quest?"  
Shadow's glare turned icy. "I didn't take you in for the sake of giving you another shot at being human! I took you in-"  
"To take down your daddy." Rouge interrupted. "I already know that."  
He stiffened slightly at her words. "If you understand then there should be no problems."  
The demon woman turned away from him, snowy hair sliding in front of her eyes as if to hide her from him. "... Sure, master. No problems at all..."  
Her quiet, hurt tone immediately made him feel guilty.  
_'Why the hell do I have to be such a damned prick? It's not her fault I'm...'  
_Shadow released a frustrated breath, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Rouge. I just..."  
She turned and placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Just forget it. I'm fine."  
She had a small smile plastered to her face for his benefit. Her eyes were still full of sadness though.  
Shadow sighed. He knew he was really going to cop it later.  
"If you're sure, Rouge..."  
"I am."  
He jerked his head towards a massive door sealed firmly shut further down the street. His long, raven hair swished with the movement. "Come on then. Let's go home."  
The demon woman's smile became more relaxed and she nodded her agreement. "Yeah... Let's."

* * *

The walk to the door had taken longer than expected… What with the random swarm of angry demons attacking them midway through their short trip. Then there was the annoying task of having to stop a Hand of Darkness from spewing, well, darkness out so they could continue without it affecting Shadow's performance.  
Said demon hunter cocked one of his twin pistols at a goat head lamp and fired a Light Shot at it to cease its bleating. The shot connected and the goat shut up. It chewed contentedly as its comforting yellow glow dispelled the last of the darkness. Shadow sighed, cracking his neck. "That was a major pain in the ass..."  
Rouge, still in her twin pistol form, groaned. "You're telling me. I mean geez, Shadz! Would it kill you to warn me before you decide to smack me against a demon head? They're really friggen' hard, believe it or not!"  
"Ah. Sorry..." Shadow meekly apologised.  
"And while I'm at it," Rouge continued to rant, "don't squeeze my triggers so hard! Do you have any idea what part of my body they make up?!"  
The demon hunter had an inkling but he'd rather not voice his suspicion in case it was true.  
Yet Rouge decided to bowl ahead; confirming his fear and making him go bright red.  
"Pussy! The trigger is my pussy, so be gentle!"  
"Y-yes, ma'am..."  
He felt incredibly disturbed by the fact that every time he fired his guns he was touching her 'private square' and didn't think he would ever use them again.  
_'... Maybe I'll just stick with the Shakuhachi for a while... Wait. There's no trigger on a sword so where's her... Oh fuck!'_  
He sort of had a mini mental breakdown over this dilemma. Realising she'd taken her joke a bit too far, Rouge spoke up. "Uh... I was kidding you know. There's not really any specific body part assigned to the parts of the guns... Or the sword."  
A moment of silence passed, after which Shadow heaved a grateful sigh. "Well... that's... yeah. Phew."  
The demon woman in gun form chuckled. "Yeah. Well... let's get a move on then."  
The demon hunter nodded and marched towards the big door that was their exit; the tension already evaporating from him.  
But he was blissfully unaware of his demon weapon's inner musing.  
_'... Except for Maidenhead.'_ Rouge thought, grinning impishly to herself. _'Boy does that one give me a kick~!'  
_Poor Shadow the oblivious pussy fingerer…

After a final minor scuffle with a handful of crawlers, the doors to the human world were finally ready to be exited from. Without a word from her handler, Rouge switched into Shakuhachi form. Holding the katana firmly with both hands, Shadow jammed the slender blade between the crack of the massive twin doors. He strained forwards and backwards hard to jimmy them open, grunting with the effort. Another two seconds of grunting and straining later and the doors rumbled inwards, revealing a blinding bright light. The brightness was a deception.  
"Ready to run, hon?" asked Rouge.  
Shadow rolled his shoulders, making them crackle slightly. "Ready as I'll ever be..." he mumbled. Then he plunged into the brightness.

* * *

The other side of the bright wall was filled with a thick, choking darkness and a constant loud, keening moan provided the only sound in the area besides Shadow's own laboured breathing. There was a long, winding pathway of floating stone with only a couple of half crumbled structures here and there to break the monotony. This eventually led to another wall of brightness. The exit.  
Shadow staggered along the path, panting and growling, as the darkness slowly began inflicting pain on his body. It didn't affect him as much as it would a regular hunter, but that was because he was... special.  
Clenching his teeth tightly at the thought, the demon hunter continued on his way down the stone path.  
A little ways down, floating at chest height, was a bubble. It was a bit bigger than his hand and contained a red, pulsing object within. A human heart; an essential object to surviving darkness choked areas such as this one.  
Shadow wasn't feeling too bad, just a bad migraine at this point, but decided he'd better not test his luck. After all, he'd had enough close calls concerning this thick darkness and ignored hearts to not want to suffer in such a way again. When he was within arm's reach of the bubble covered heart, Shadow snatched it from the air and crushed it. The organ gave one final loud 'babmp' before it dissolved into his hand. Instantly, the migraine was gone and he felt better. That wouldn't last long.  
He continued down the path, neck prickling unpleasantly as he looked further ahead. From behind the crumbled bit of wall he was approaching stood a demon. Thankfully it had its back to him and appeared to be too busy snarling at something deeper within the space. Fighting demons in thick darkness was suicide. While inside the darkness, they were immune to any and all attacks, including the disabling light shot. And if enough time was wasted fighting them without having absorbed a human heart in time, the darkness would eat away the unlucky hunter's flesh and claim them.  
Shadow crushed another heart as he passed it; determined to not get caught up in a hopeless battle. Yet, the closer in proximity he came to the demon and the structure, the more he could hear the noises.  
At first he'd thought it a mere figment of his imagination or the darkness playing mind games with him. But he gradually came to realise that the agonised screaming and crying of a child was not an illusion. It was real.  
_'Why is there a kid in here? Something must be up...'_  
"Rouge," Shadow gasped out, the pain of the darkness stealing his breath, "d-do you hear...?"  
"Oh I hear it, hon." she confirmed. "And I see more hell monkeys."  
That was a subtle way for her to say 'don't you dare investigate, just keep moving'. Normally he would agree wholeheartedly with her. But this situation was different from the norm.  
Channelling all his energy into increasing his speed, Shadow began a drunken sprint towards the crumbled structure.  
"Shadow! Shadow, stop! This might be a trap!" Yelled Rouge. Her pleading fell on deaf ears. The demon hunter came closer and closer to the source of the disturbance, gut sinking when more of the situation began to unfurl before his eyes.  
As Rouge had stated, there was more than one demon behind that wall.  
The creatures had formed a tight ring around what he assumed must be the distressed child. They yowled and screeched menacingly, sometimes drowning out the kid's pitiful whimpers. Even though the colour palette within the darkness was reduced to a darker greyscale with a hint of purple and the glaring red pinpricks that were the demons' eyes, the liquid dripping from the creatures' claws was unmistakable.  
"Rouge... Milk Squirters." Hissed the demon hunter through clenched teeth.  
"But..."  
"Do it...!" He growled. The demon woman complied, transforming from a samurai sword to the pair of pistols Shadow had used earlier. The usual magenta glow that accompanied was instead light grey in the dismal environment. Shadow aimed both guns at a demon with its claws extended above its head for a slash and fired. Both demon bone bullets hit the creature's deformed head dead centre. The normally fatal blow instead merely staggered the demon. It shook its head irritably, as though shaking away a mosquito then spun in place to seek out the disturbance. Shadow fired again, hitting it in the eyes. The demon yowled, bearing its jagged fangs at him in a snarl. Its eyes were still intact.  
The creature's brethren all turned to face the intruder and their decaying faces twisted into feral, hateful expressions at the sight of the demon hunter. He half jogged, half ran to bridge the gap between them, yelling and firing at the crowd of monstrosities to draw them away from the kid. It was working. They all lurched towards him, screaming and flexing their claws.  
"Nice plan, genius..." Rouge muttered sarcastically, "Now what?"  
Shadow snagged a heart and crushed it, replenishing his depleted stamina. "... No idea."  
If she had eyes at the present time the demon woman would have rolled them. "How very foolproof."  
The male merely grunted as he continued to fire at the demon swarm.  
"I count eight hell monkeys." Informed Rouge. "Seriously though, what _is_ your plan?"  
"I'll... think of... something." He ground out. He was now within leaping distance of the demons and a pair of them looked about ready to do just that. With a yowl, this pair pounced. They sailed towards him, bloodied claws outstretched.  
Executing a forward roll, Shadow dodged the soaring hell monkeys and fired at the other six before him. They staggered a step with each shot that hit them but were otherwise unfazed. The one on the far left darted forward to slash at the demon hunter but he rolled out of reach and swept its legs out from under it. The creature fell flat on its face, teeth clicking at the impact. Shadow shoulder charged the next demon in line, knocking it into its fellows and creating a domino effect.  
A demon's rapidly diminishing shriek pierced the air.  
_'Falling.'_ The demon hunter's brain registered. _'It fell off the path.'_  
His lips curved up into a smirk. Now there was an idea.  
Shadow scrambled to his feet, pointing both pistols at the demons slowly picking themselves up. He pressed his trigger fingers forward, against the trigger guards instead of backwards against the actual triggers. Glowing energy hummed and flared from the ends of the twin pistols at the action. He allowed the demons another three seconds to gain their footing and for the attack to charge before he unleashed it. With twin 'fwomph' noises, the guns spat out a pair of bombs composed of the glowing energy. They stuck themselves to the middle demon, staggering it, fuses fizzing silently.  
"Sayonara, hell monkeys...!"  
Shadow aimed at the sticky energy bombs and squeezed both triggers. When the bullets connected, the result was instantaneous. Both bombs exploded and the demons blew out in all directions. Four of the five fell to their doom. But Shadow didn't have time to celebrate.  
The pair of demons that had leaped at him at the beginning of the fight had snuck up on him. He ducked one set of claws but caught the other set straight in the stomach. They easily pierced his flesh and he grunted in pain. He kicked the demon in the chest, staggering it and painfully dislodging its claws.  
"Shakuhachi!" He exclaimed, to which Rouge instantly obeyed. Spreading his legs evenly for balance, Shadow gripped the katana two handed, glaring at the demons. A light scrabbling sound alerted him to the recovery of the demon he had planted the bombs on. He angled his torso to the right, keeping his feet firmly planted in their positions. All three demons crept towards him. The two in front of him were growling and gnashing their razor sharp teeth and the lone demon behind him was attempting a more stealthy approach, but it's rasping breath was a dead giveaway. Shadow closed his eyes, attempting to calm his jagged breathing whilst employing his other senses.

**_Scraping of feet against the stone. Clicking of teeth. Rasping breath. Pain shooting all through his body from the prolonged exposure to the darkness without the consumption of a heart. Freezing cold of the howling wind around him. More footsteps. Keening of the darkness. Feeling of flesh slowly being peeled away. The comfortingly familiar feeling of Rouge's leather bound hilt clenched in his hands. More demon footsteps. Stinking hot breath on his neck. Claws clicking together from above; raised for attack._**  
**_Now!_**

Crimson eyes snapped open. With a roar, Shadow poured all his strength into a horizontal slash. Flesh tore but didn't sever the torsos like it would have if they were in the City of the Damned. Shadow lifted his heels to spin in place. Using his momentum, he slashed through the sneaky demon behind him, bringing about the same result as the other two as well as staggering it. He replanted his heels and stopped, facing the first two demons. His trench coat whispered back into place, gently brushing against his calves. Shadow crossed his arms across his chest and the familiar destructive red energy instantly encompassed him, glaring out of the monotony of the darkness drowned surroundings. The demons staggered towards him again, yowling, with claws outstretched. He wasn't going to give them another chance to injure him.  
"Chaos... BLAST!" The glowing demon hunter screamed, throwing his arms out as he released his attack. Unlike the last time he had used it, the demons did not fully disintegrate. Instead, they were half burned to crisps and violently thrown backwards and over the edges of the path.  
Close enough.  
Shadow allowed himself to take a jagged, gasping breath before he set off at a stumbling run for the child he had heard. He hoped they were real or he was going to be pissed. He also hoped that if they were real, they weren't dead. He didn't want the blood of more helpless innocents that he could have saved on his hands...  
The demon hunter shook his head against the ugly thought that had started rearing its head.  
_'Don't dredge up that memory again,'_ he berated himself, _'or you'll have another fucking break down.'  
_Shadow's hover shoes crunched the stone path underfoot with each heavy step he took. Along with his harsh breathing, it made a weird accompaniment to the soundtrack of the constant keening moan of the darkness. Said darkness was currently putting him through a world of agony but he ignored it and pressed on; spurred by the sight of the approaching structure. He released a shaky but relieved sigh at the sight of a small figure half curled in on itself within the half crumbled stone walls. The kid had been real.

Many agonising seconds later and the demon hunter was standing above the child. Shadow blinked, baffled.  
The kid couldn't have been older than ten. He was a pale and scrawny thing with an unruly tangle of pure white hair that reached his shoulder blades. It was messier around the crown of his skull and stuck up in all sorts of directions while the rest of the colourless mop appeared a bit neater. Shadow assumed the boy's hair would be pale or platinum blonde when they exited the darkness. The kid's small, bloodied chest heaved with exertion and his teeth were gritted in pain. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. A pitiful whimper escaped his throat.  
Shadow gently rolled the boy over, making him yelp and struggle. The demon hunter growled irritably and kept him pinned with a knee planted firmly atop the stomach. "Stay still or I can't help you...!"  
The scrawny boy ceased struggling and quietened, aside from gasping harshly for air.  
Crimson eyes catalogued all the bleeding cuts and tears the boy had sustained and settled on...  
_'A burn?'_  
He gently probed the massive, still weeping burn across the boy's chest, wandering at its origin. At his touch, the kid's eyes flew wide open and he began to buck, screaming raggedly at the pain.  
Shadow quickly retracted his hand and reached into an inner pocket within his jacket. The kid settled back down, breathing even harsher than before. His eyes drifted back shut.  
Shadow's own eyes narrowed in concentration as he rummaged through all his pockets. _'Come on... Come on... Yes!'  
_He grinned at his small victory, brandishing a smallish bottle labelled 'Sake'. It wasn't the best of the three beverages but it would have to do.  
Shadow bit off the cork stopper and spat it out. He lifted the kid's head and stuck the bottle to his lips, coaxing him to drink the alcohol; which was the demon's version of instant medicine. Once more, the boy's eyes bugged open. He choked and tried to wrench away but Shadow kept a firm grip on his head, keeping him in place. "Drink it," he growled, "or you'll die!"  
The burning of the liqueur brought tears to the boy's eyes and he gave a half-hearted jerk. Other than that he obediently gulped down the alcohol. Shadow watched with a critical eye as the smaller scratches sealed and the blood flow of the bigger ones slowed dramatically. The burn remained as big as ever but appeared to have become a little less irritated. As the boy swallowed the last dregs of the alcohol, he slumped backwards, eyes half lidded and face lightening with a flush.  
Shadow tossed the empty bottle over the edge. He smirked and snorted at the dopey expression on the boy's face. His earlier injury flared agonisingly and the smirk was immediately replaced with clenched teeth and cussing.  
"Get a move on Shadz or neither of you is gonna make it!" Rouge ordered. Nodding mutely, the demon hunter placed his shape shifting weapon next to him so he could pick up the kid. The boy was so scrawny he barely weighed a thing.  
Rouge reverted back to her regular form, wrapping an arm around her male companion's waist to support him. Together they awkwardly jogged the last few meters towards the exit, Rouge nabbing and crushing hearts against Shadow's side whenever they approached one to keep him going. Just when the demon hunter's strength was starting to wane, the weary three pushed through the light. They stumbled forwards onto cracked asphalt slick with the rain that was steadily pouring from the sky.

Behind them, the doorway to Hell creaked then slammed shut with a loud boom, sealing itself.

She-demon and hunter stood panting and trying to get their bearings. After a minute, Shadow pointed left, at an alleyway. "We entered from there, remember?"  
Rouge nodded. "Yeah, I remember." She noticed the kid, who had hair a few shades greyer than her own, shivering violently. She outstretched her massive deep purple-black bat wings and used them like massive organic umbrellas for all three of them.  
"... Very practical." Said Shadow, smirking. The demon woman rolled her aquamarine eyes.

"Nice. Because every woman wants to be told they're 'practical'."  
They both chuckled and began to trudge towards the alley.  
Halfway down the dark and stinking passageway, the boy sneezed.

"Aw... He's so cute~!" Rouge cooed, brushing away some of his rain dampened fringe from his closed eyes. He moaned lightly at the touch, hiding his face in Shadow's chest. The demon hunter scowled at him. "I don't want to take care of a friggen' kid!"  
"Should've thought about that before you saved him." Rouge smirked, flicking his forehead.  
He directed the scowl at her. "Watch it..." He growled. She merely laughed at his dangerous tone. "I'll try, but I offer no concrete promises~!"  
The demon hunter exhaled a huffed breath. "Typical demon woman."  
She poked her tongue at him. "Grumpy hunter."  
"Succubus."  
"Heh. Thanks for the complement, hon."  
Their light-hearted jibes continued all the way back to Shadow's apartment, and the boy added his input with the occasional sneeze.

* * *

**A/N: Well, time for those explainations! *dusts off Johnsonpedia* Ahem!**

**Demons: The generalisation are easily distinguished by their rotting appearance. Have long, talon like claws, beady, glowing red eyes and a mouthful of pointy teeth. All demons have a strong aversion to light, as it weakens them. They can come in many varieties. Rouge is classed as a 'fallen' or 'ex' demon which means she was booted out of Hell (more on that in later chapters).**

**Demon hunters: Rather self explainitory. **

**Crawlers: (I don't believe they have a specific name but whatever...) These demons are more bony than the norm and scuttle around on all fours like a demented dog. They can crawl up walls.**

**Ammunition: Yes, the ammunition really is made of demon teeth and bones! And skulls. It depends on which gun is used. (Pitol: bones Submachine gun: teeth Shotgun: skulls)**

**The City of the Damned: Main part of hell. It looks kinda ye olde English-y because of all the cobblestones (and just the general architecture for that matter), old school gas lamps and hanging signs above shops.**

**Hand of Darkness: A big ass ugly, Dementor looking hand with an eye shaped slit in the palm that spews bubbles of darkness that cover the area in said darkness. The only way to stop it is to jam a weapon (Johnson Torch or Shakuhachi) into the hole. The hand will clench shut and the darkness will disappear after this.**

**Goat head lamps: The literal head of a goat on a plaque hung about the City of the Damned. When hit with a Light Shot, it will glow and dispell all darkness in the immediate area. They can be extinguished by a crawler demon's breath. **

**Light Shot: A harmless projectile. Used for stunning demons for a short period of time and lighting goat head lamps.**

**Thick/impenitrable darkness: A space comprised of darker greyscale colours with some purple thrown in. Demon eyes will still glow red though. No goat heads can be found here so it can't be dispelled. It's barren, usually only containing a stone path between both entries and exits which are deceptively bright, like the gates to Heaven. Demons in here are immune to any and all attacks. Prolonged exposure to this darkness will eventually kill.**

**Human hearts: Found in bubbles within the thick darkness. Absorbing one will prolong life for a while longer.**

**Hell monkeys: Slang for demons.**

**Alchohol: Regenerates life when in Hell but doesn't cause liver damage. Comes in three varieties: Sake (lowest restorer), Tequila (medium restorer) and Absinthe (highest restorer).  
**

**Rouge's weapon forms:**

**Maidenhead: Slang for va jay jay. Unbeknowest to Shadow, the trigger is Rouge's heiny. This is because she likes the pleasurable 'vibrator' effect of the submachine gun.**

**Shakuhachi: Japanese for 'blow job'. It's a sturdy katana that won't snap, even when used like a crowbar.**

**Milk Squirters: Not so subtle way of saying nipples. Twin pistols that can fire bombs made of energy when the trigger guard is pressed and held for a few seconds. The bombs will only explode when fired at with a regular shot.**

**The reason for the (disturbing) above names is that Johnson, Garcia's demon/weapon(s), had similar names for his forms which were as follows: ****Pistol- Boner Submachine gun- Teether Shotgun- Monocussioner **

**He's also used as a torch.**

**As you can tell, I replaced the torch AND the shotgun with the Shakuhachi. This is because I've never really been a big fan of the shotgun (too slow). As for the torch... heh. You'll learn about that later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yo yo, mofos! I actually had this done before I went on a three day holiday across SeaWorld MovieWorld and Wet 'n' Wild (I love my new Joker jumper; it's the shit!XD). But I'm glad I didn't post until now. Managed to kink out a bunch of errors. Just wish I wasn't suffering such excruciating writer's block for everything else I'm working on.U_U;**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

**Shadow and the Damned**

**The Boy's Name is… **

Demon hunter Shadow and his demonic weapon partner Rouge were gathered around said demon hunter's bed. They were both staring intently at the face of the pale boy sleeping under the covers.  
As if sensing their unwavering gazes, the boy frowned and mumbled in his sleep. He turned on his side and threw the blanket over his head to block the stares.  
Rouge chuckled. "Oops. Looks like we made the poor thing uncomfortable."  
Shadow rolled piercing crimson eyes and got to his feet.

"Going somewhere, hon?"  
The demon hunter scowled down at her. "Yes. Is it a crime for me to want to take a piss?"  
An impish smirk crossed the female demon's face. "Should I help you?"  
The hunter's cheeks heated. He growled at her before turning on his heel and stalking away.  
"You didn't say no!" Rouge called after his retreating back.  
The bedroom door was slammed closed with more force than necessary and a muffled squeak of surprise sounded from underneath the blanket at the disturbance. Rouge patted the lump; presumably where the boy's head was. "It's okay," she soothed gently. "I just riled him up a little too much."  
He stiffened at the touch but didn't pull away like the last few times. The demoness allowed herself a small smile of triumph at her progress.  
Rouge sat by the boy's side, rubbing slow, comforting circles over what felt like his bony shoulder while she waited for Shadow's return, the boy gradually relaxing at her touch.  
Once his death grip on the blanket eventually eased into looseness, the demoness gently pulled it away from his face. The pale kid scrunched his face up then opened bleary gold eyes. "Mmmn...?"  
Rouge gave him a tender smile. "Hey there, sweetie." She whispered so as not to startle him, "Have a good sleep?"  
He blinked around a small layer of sleep crust and some of his pale fringe in his eyes. The bat winged she-demon tucked the locks away behind his ears. "Better?"  
The boy tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn. She petted his unruly head of hair. "Get some more sleep. You look like you need it."  
Just as his gold eyes were drifting back shut, a loud clatter accompanied by angry cussing erupted from the kitchen, and they flew wide open. Rouge stilled the boy with a firm squeeze to the shoulder and murmured reassurances.  
He flinched at another loud crash.  
"Don't worry, it's just Shadow." She said. "He's hopeless in the kitchen."  
More muffled cursing came from behind the door. "Argh! _FFFFUCK_!"  
Rouge grinned at the boy and tweaked his nose. "I'll be back soon; just have to make sure he doesn't kill himself. Or the kitchen."  
Silently, the boy rubbed his nose as he watched her exit the room.

* * *

Rouge found the demon hunter in the kitchen doubled over and clutching his hand. A pot on the stove bubbled innocently behind him. What happened was pretty clear.  
"Oh, honestly," the she-demon rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the way with a wing. "Move it, you useless lump."  
Shadow allowed the big leathery appendage to push him away, still occupied with his scalded hand.  
"Shadz, wash it under cold water if it hurts so much."  
"But... b-bills..." He whimpered.  
The demoness glared at him. "Then find some ointment or something instead of standing there, bitching! Use that brain you take so much damn pride in!"  
He grumbled and stalked for the medical kit in the bathroom.  
"And if you're so worried about bills then why the hell did you try to make pasta?! Gas costs money too, remember?" She yelled after him.  
Shadow didn't reply. Not audibly anyway.  
"Cuz I felt like it..." He growled under his breath. Truthfully he'd wanted to attempt to make something nice for the kid. He was so damn thin he looked like he desperately needed the nourishment. That and he reminded him of his...

_Bloody scrap of blue fabric stained almost purple with blood. _

_Big, dark figure looming above. _

_Blood, blood, blood..._

Shadow growled and slammed his uninjured fist through the wall, leaving a deep, heavily cracked imprint in his wake.  
"Son of a bitch...!" He snarled, clenching his injured hand.  
His face felt wet.

* * *

Soft knocking on the bedroom door woke him. The boy sat up, rubbing his eyes. He felt disorientated and his stomach gave an unhappy gurgle. Most of all, he hurt.  
He touched his bandage wrapped chest, eyes becoming moist with sorrow.  
This was how Rouge found him when she unlocked the door and pushed it open wider with a hip.  
"Hi, sweetie. Sleep well?"  
The pale boy startled, hand dropping to clench the bed sheet, and fixed his wide gold eyes on her. Seemingly heedless to his reaction, the demoness walked in carrying a fragrant, steaming bowl. She was smiling; non-threatening.  
The boy relaxed minimally, bony shoulders slumping back to their regular positions.  
Rouge sat by the bed, the boy watching her every movement with wary, but curious, eyes. His nose twitched, inhaling the scent of the spaghetti she held. His stomach gurgled loudly and he moaned, hiding himself under the blanket.  
One perfectly groomed white eyebrow rose. "Well, okay then..."  
"What a strange brat."  
Rouge snorted. "Saved by an even stranger jerk."  
Leaning on the door frame, both hands wrapped in bandage gauze, Shadow rolled his eyes at her. "Ha ha," he said sarcastically.  
"Hey, could you bring in the glass of water I left on the table?" Asked the she-demon, to which the demon hunter blinked. "Wait. That wasn't for me?"  
Rouge glared at him. "Of course not, you dick. It was for the kid."  
"Oh. Oops." Shadow said without a hint of remorse. The demon woman's glare intensified. "Go pour another one. _Now_," she commanded. The male rolled his crimson eyes and shuffled away, muttering insults, but did as he was told.  
After placing the hot bowl of food on the bedside table, Rouge poked the lump under the blankets. "Hey. You hungry, kiddo?"  
His small, pale face popped out from the folds of the blanket. He made a face, nose wrinkling slightly.  
"No?"  
His head bobbed in affirmative.  
"You feel sick?"  
Another nod followed by a pained wince. Rouge wore a face of motherly concern. "Do your injuries hurt too?"  
He nodded again.  
She got up from her chair and sat on the edge of the bed, gesturing for the boy to come closer. After a moment's hesitation he crawled next to her, hesitantly resting his head on her shoulder. The demoness stroked his pale hair softly, tenderly even.  
She traced slow, nonsensical patterns on his skull and the action lulled both of them into an incredibly relaxed state.  
"You know," Rouge whispered, voice wavering faintly, "I used to have..."  
This was about the time Shadow returned.  
"Here's the water," he said gruffly.  
Rouge jerked as if guilty, quickly drawing her hand back to her chest, and the boy hurriedly scuttled back, drawing the cover tightly around himself.  
The demon hunter raised an eyebrow at both of them. "Am I missing something here?"  
"Not really, no." Said the demoness with a light smile that was strained at the edges. Shadow fixed a disbelieving frown on her but didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he walked up to the head of his bed, where the boy was huddled, thrusting the glass of water at him. "Here, brat."  
"Be nice," Rouge said mildly.  
Shadow grunted, still holding out the glass. No move was made to take it.  
"For Christ's sake, kid, do I have to _make_ you drink it?!" Growled the demon hunter. The boy flinched, but gave him a small glare. Despite his annoyance, Shadow was impressed by the fire in the boy's gold eyes.  
Before he could repeat the question again, there was a sudden blur of cyan and the water was yanked from out of Shadow's hands and settled into the boy's own.  
The demon hunter's eyes widened in evident shock. Rouge mirrored his expression. "Did you just see...?!"  
Smirking at them both, the pale boy took a gulp of water.  
But Shadow wasn't smiling. He held out a hand and it immediately crackled and spat with yellowish energy. The energy formed into a rough, short spear shape. He jammed this near the boy's throat.  
"Who sent you?" He hissed, baring his teeth. "Was it Fleming? Or was it Black Doom?" He spat the last name out with pure venom.  
The boy was frozen with fear, eyes flitting between the Chaos Spear and Shadow's wrath-filled face.  
"_Speak_!" Snarled the demon hunter, the Chaos Spear spitting even more sparks as a visual representation of his anger.  
The boy's mouth opened but nothing came out of it. His eyes were a different matter; tears beginning to leak from them and down his pale, frightened face.  
"I said: fucking _speak_, _damn you_!" Shadow screamed.  
A sound that was a mixture of a sob, a whimper and a hiccup rose from the throat of the boy. His tears fell faster.  
"That's enough!" Rouge snapped, jumping to her feet. "He's obviously not working for either of those bastards. He's just a poor, scared kid, for fuck's sake!"  
"The hell he is!" Shadow argued, directing his glare at her. "No normal kid would have survived that long in the darkness, much less be there in the first place!"  
"It's not uncommon for demons to attempt escape," the demoness said in a considerably calmer tone. "The chance of success is slim to none but they still try. I tried, and I was incredibly lucky to have bumped into you in the attempt. That's probably the same for this kid."  
Shadow hesitated, casting the boy an indecisive look.  
"Besides," Rouge continued, "would those assholes really send a frail little boy on the verge of death after you?" She gestured at the shivering, crying boy in question.  
The demon hunter glared harder at said boy, causing him to flinch. Shadow made the Chaos Spear disintegrate and forcefully grabbed the boy's face. On reflex, he struggled.  
"Stay still, runt," growled the demon hunter, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes.  
Wide and gold; full of tears and fright and lacking guile of any sort.  
As Rouge had stated, he was just a kid.  
With a scowl, Shadow released the boy, who immediately scrambled as far back as the bed head would allow him.  
Turning on his heel, the demon hunter stormed out the door. He slammed it, and the apartment door, after him as he left.  
Rouge sighed tiredly and sat on the bed, massaging her forehead.  
The man exhausted her sometimes. Not that she'd ever admit that to him of course.  
She turned kind aquamarine eyes to the still cringing boy. "Don't mind him. He's got lots of shit to deal with. Anger's just his way of dealing with it."  
Snuffling and wiping his nose, the boy nodded cautiously and crawled over to the demoness. He rested his head in her lap, facing the door.  
"Do you have a name, sweetie?" Rouge asked, gently stroking his soft, pale hair.  
"... Silver." The boy managed to get out around the tears clogging his throat and the burning of his chest.  
"Nice to finally know your name. I'm Rouge. The grumpy guy that just left was Shadow."  
Silver twisted his head around to smile shyly up at her. "It's nice to meet you too, Rouge. Thank you for saving me."  
She grinned back, ruffling his hair. "Don't sweat it, kiddo. Although, you should thank Shadow when he comes back. He's the one that actually saved you, not to mention carried you out."  
"'Kay," the pale boy nodded, slumping exhaustedly. He closed his gold eyes, breathing heavily. He seemed a lot smaller and paler, which made the she-demon give him a look of concern. "Are you okay?"  
"Hurts..." Silver mumbled with a cough.  
"Where does it hurt, sweetie?"  
"Chest, " he answered, pointing at said area; more specifically the burn.  
Rouge's lips tugged downwards in a frown. "Yeah, that burn looks awful. How did you get it?"  
The pale boy stubbornly clamped his mouth shut and looked away.  
The demoness thought that was odd. And she wondered why it was that his eyes looked so incredibly sad.

* * *

**A/N: Yes... quite the mystery, Rouge. A mystery to be solved NEXT CHAPTER!1!~~~~(O3O)~~~~**

***flies away to play OFF and/or Sims 3 and listen to Attack on Titan's opening "Guren no Yamiya" instead of working on said chapter***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, that was quick, huh?**

**This one's short and sweet. Typed it up in couple of hours which is a new personal best!8D *pops some party crackers* Then again, it's not quite nine hundred words; which pales in comparison to my usual three-four thousand. *party crackers fly away, screaming about my lameness***

**Now if I could only channel this enthusiasm and non-writer's block-ness into my other stuff...**

**Thanks for the positive reviews thus far, guys. It means a lot; especially since my will to write anything other than this seems to be severely crippled... Man, I hope this slump fucks off soon...**

**Read on!**

* * *

**Shadow and the Damned**

**Safety and a Promise **

When Shadow finally returned to his apartment some time after midnight after blowing off some steam- by blowing off demon heads- he was met with an unexpected surprise in the form of a small, timid voice.  
"W-welcome back, Shadow."  
He blinked at the pale boy, confused and just a tad dumbfounded. And above all, unable to respond in a coherent manner.  
The dark haired man's silence was quickly unsettling Silver, as evidenced by his uncomfortable fidgeting.  
Finally, the demon hunter snapped out of it. He inclined his head towards the boy before heading towards the fridge. "... Thanks, kid," he murmured. "It's good to be back."  
Relief lit Silver's gold eyes.  
Rouge was right; this man wasn't as callous and mean as he'd originally thought.  
Shadow swiped a carton of juice from the fridge and chugged it down; parched from his anger-fuelled demon hunting. The cool citrus flavoured liquid instantly relieved his throat and he closed his ruby eyes in bliss. He quickly drained the carton to a slow drip then tossed it into the garbage bin situated at the other side of the room.  
"Swish," he muttered as it landed seamlessly in.  
"Um... nice shot."  
Shadow looked at the boy, cocking his head slightly. "You're awfully chatty all of a sudden," he observed. "What gives?"  
Silver nibbled his lower lip and shrugged. The demon hunter looked at him a while longer then took a turn at shrugging. "You're not mute, so I guess I shouldn't complain."  
Unsure of how to respond, the pale boy gave a small nod and fiddled with the oversized shirt Rouge had bundled him into after bathing him.  
_'That's mine,'_ Shadow observed, trying not to smile at how dwarfed the scrawny kid looked wearing the item of clothing.  
"... Shadow...?" Ventured the boy. The demon hunter hummed as an indication for him to continue. "I'm sorry I upset you... I didn't mean to."  
"Don't apologise. I'm the one that went off my nut," the older male responded, raking his fingers though his shaggy black hair, embarrassed.  
"Oh. O-okay."  
Uncomfortable silence again settled over the two.  
In the bedroom, Rouge rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation at their situation. 'Do I have to do everything around here?'  
"Silver, sweetie, is Shadow back now?"  
Both males jerked in surprise at the unexpectedness of the demoness's voice. Speech miraculously returned to them.  
"Um... y-yeah...!" Silver called back.  
Shadow's lips twitched upwards into a slight smirk. He knew the she-demon's keen ears would have heard him clomping up to the apartment complex long ago, meaning her question was more for his and the boy's benefit. A way to break the ice, so to speak.  
Behind the bedroom door, Rouge smiled. "Good. Now both of you get your asses to bed this instant; it's way past bedtime."  
Silver blinked up at the older male. "You have a bedtime?"  
Shadow threw back his head and laughed, startling him. The question was so absurd in its innocence that he couldn't help but laugh.  
"No, Silver," he said once his laughter subsided. "But you do. Come on."  
The demon hunter headed for the bedroom, ruffling Silver's unruly mop of pale hair on the way there. The boy followed in a surprised haze, gently touching the area that had been ruffled. A feeling of lightness and warmth that he thought he'd lost hours ago was beginning to redevelop beneath his breastbone. What was this feeling called again?  
"Honey, I'm home!" Shadow grinned, opening the bedroom door. Rouge, garbed in one of her more appropriate nighties, grinned back. The demon hunter's rare jovial mood was infectious. "Welcome home, hachimitsu!"  
The demon hunter kicked off his hovershoes and shucked off his leather jacket, allowing it to drop and pool by his feet. He flopped next to his demonic weapon partner, making the king sized bed creak loudly.  
Rouge's nose wrinkled and smacked his arm lightly. "Ew, you smell really ripe! Take a bath!"  
Shadow smirked back. "What, you don't like eau de Shadow?"  
"More like eau de sweat box."  
They burst out laughing.  
Standing uncertainly in the doorway, watching the two of them, Silver anxiously wrung his borrowed shirt between his hands.  
Rouge noticed the boy all by his lonesome and waved him over. "Hop on the bed, sweetie. We don't bite."  
Startled but relieved, the pale boy padded towards the bed. He hopped up at the foot of it and crawled between the adults, snuggling comfortably into their combined warmth.  
Rouge apologised for Shadow's stinkiness and Silver assured her that he didn't mind. Then the demoness wrapped an arm around him and there was no further conversation. The only sounds being made were their gentle, sleepy breaths.  
As the pale boy closed his eyes he was finally able to place that warm, light feeling.  
Safety.  
The feeling he thought he had lost only hours ago had returned in the form of two strange new people; a surly demon hunter and a perverted demoness.  
They wouldn't be able to replace the missing chunk in his heart, but he was certain that with time they could mend it so it wasn't as painful as it was now.  
Silver splayed one pale hand across the massive burn across his chest, gritting his teeth against the pain, and made a promise.

* * *

**A/N: OMG, Ghostie, you brought up the point that I didn't explain Fleming last chapter! *smacks forehead* Ok, Johnsonpedia time!**

**Fleming: The main antagonist from Shadows of the Damned. He stole Garcia's girlfriend Paula and dragged her into hell so he had to fetch her... Running from a psycho duplicate of her twice (or was it three time?) during the story. Fleming is the tyrannical, dictating head honcho/king of Hell.  
**

**... Well, congratulations, Ghostking... you are not only evil, you are the spawn of the king of Hell.;)  
**

**Hachimitsu: Japanese for honey.  
**

**Man, I can't believe nobody here has played Shadows of the Damned... DAMN YOU ALL! I DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO NERD WITH!1!11!X,,D**

**There should be some actual action (and length) in the next chapter, so look forward to that.**

**'Til then, sayonara, little hell monkeys!(^0^)/**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yay! It's finally finished!^0^ Now all I have to update is Darkness Persues... which I have severe writer's block for. "=_="; Bleh.**

**I know I keep saying there'll be action next chapter, and that I keep disappointing you... but next time there will DEFINITELY be action! If there isn't, feel free to throw stuff at me.:,L**

**Oh yeah, there's a dramatic time skip after the line break, just in case Shadow's 'subtle' second sentence doesn't clue you in.:P**

* * *

**Shadow and the Damned**

**Searching For That Which is Lost **

"Please teach me to be a hunter."  
With this one plead, a plate came close to being dropped and smashed, and half-chewed ravioli was almost spat across the kitchen.  
Shadow hastily gulped the mouthful of pasta down, coughing lightly afterwards. Instead of fobbing off Silver like he felt he should, the demon hunter instead asked him a question. "Why?"  
Rouge shot him a sharp glance which was steadfastly ignored. His ruby gaze was instead locked onto that of the pale boy who had been living with the odd pair for all of about four days now. Said boy swallowed thickly. He appeared to be carefully selecting the right words to respond with. "... There's something I have to do," he eventually said.  
Shadow raised an eyebrow as a prompt to continue. Silver made no move to speak, however.  
The kid's selective muteness was a trait that he and Rouge had quickly become accustomed to. The most noteworthy times being when questions were posed about his life before the four days spent living with the demon hunter and his weaponised demoness partner.  
Clearly this was another one of those personal questions.  
Knowing he wouldn't get any sort of response, Shadow decided to try a different, more underhanded, manner.  
He shrugged with feigned indifference. "I'm not going to teach someone how to hunt hell monkeys without a good, solid reason."  
Silver's firm expression was quickly shattered and replaced with one of stricken grief and indecision.  
Meanwhile, Shadow had calmly resumed eating his meal. He was allowing the pale boy to decide whether being trained in the art of hunting demons was worth giving up one of his closely kept personal secrets.  
The raven haired man was soon swiping sauce from his bowl with a finger and licking it off in a constant fashion to clean it up. During this time, no move to speak had been made by Silver.  
Still no attempt was made when Shadow dumped his licked clean dish into the sink then made a beeline towards the fridge for a drink.  
The boy still refused to talk.  
Shadow mentally shrugged as he skulled some apple juice. This lack of a reason from Silver just gave the demon hunter the impression that either the boy never wanted to be trained in the first place or that his reason to request being tutored may not have been strong enough.  
Chucking the now empty bottle into the bin, Shadow headed for his bedroom to retrieve his jacket and shoes. While he did so, Rouge wordlessly cleared the table then laced on her white thigh high boots. Silver remained glued to his seat, staring into his half finished bowl of ravioli as his mind waged an inner turmoil.  
Shadow and Rouge were nice people, despite their weirdness and quirks, but he still wasn't so sure if he could trust them. Especially after what he had been through mere minutes before his fated meeting with them...

_**"You are weak. Get out of my sight."**__  
The agonising burn of the recently extinguished fire on his chest contrasted greatly with the coldness of these two clipped sentences. Silver asked why this was happening between his tears and breathless sobs of agonising pain. The simple, yet so incredibly hurtful, response crushed his heart and forced more tears to well from his eyes.  
__**"Because I have no need for trash like you."**__  
The big dark figure floating a little ways away laughed his approval. __**"Well said, little underling."**__  
Silence met his praise, not that the giant floating demon seemed to mind. Then a back was turned and footsteps were receding.  
He cried louder, pleading. __**"Please... No... Please don't leave me...!"  
**__The footsteps ceased, yet the back remained facing him.  
__**"... I'll allow you five minutes head start to run. Not that it will make any difference."**__  
Silver could practically _feel_ his heart beginning to crack like broken glass.  
This cold and callous person was not the same one he once knew.  
Wobbling unsteadily to his feet, he half stumbled, half ran away from Black Doom and his new underling; spurred only by a mental promise._

Silver quickly blinked away the threat of tears.  
Crying about events that had already transpired would do him absolutely no good. He had to keep facing forward, towards the present, if he hoped to change things.  
"Shadow!"  
The black clad demon hunter paused at the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at the boy. Rouge, too, looked towards him. Both of their expressions were unfathomable and it made Silver uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he squared his shoulders and straightened his back. "I've found my reason."  
"Oh?" Shadow turned around enough for their eyes to properly lock. "And that would be?"  
Silver maintained a firm stare with the older male, determined fire burning in his eyes. "To save a friend."  
Silence met his declaration and he fidgeted. Was his answer not good enough?  
A small smirk twisted the corner of Shadow's mouth up. He gave the pale boy an approving nod. "Get dressed, kid. There are demons to kill."  
Spirits soaring, Silver dashed into the bedroom to get changed.  
His goal was now that much more achievable.  
_'I'm coming to save you now. Just wait for me a little longer!'_

* * *

"That little shit!" Shadow swore, kicking one of the dining chairs. "Using me for four years of training and freeloading and then up and vanishing... The fucking _nerve_ of it all!"  
Crushed in one of his hands was a note. Scrawled in Silver's messy handwriting was this:

_Shadow, Rouge, I'm leaving. Maybe for good. This is just something I have to do on my own..._  
_Thank you both for training and taking care of me. You don't know how much it means to me. Whether I see you again or not, I just want you to know that I'm so glad I met you both._  
_Goodbye,_  
_Silver._

With a few more choice curse words, Shadow kicked over another chair. "I can't believe this frigging kid!"  
Rouge sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shadow, calm down. Kicking the furniture isn't going to find Silver for you."  
The demon hunter whirled in place. "I already know that!" He snarled. "But I'm so fucking _angry_!"  
"Gee, I totally didn't see that."  
"SHUT UP!"  
"Okay, okay," the demoness held up her hands in a gesture of surrender and peace. "Look, I'm not as angry as you about the situation, but I'm certainly very shocked."  
Shadow crossed his arms as he quietly regarded the snowy haired woman. His anger slowly dissolved away into bubbles. "... Point taken." He sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. "How are we going to find the kid?"  
"Firstly, I think we need to clear our heads." Rouge stated, grabbing two cups from the pantry and filling them with tap water. Shadow winced as the leaky plumbing allowed what sounded like (to him at least) a big puddle's worth of water to fill the sink.  
Money, bye bye.  
Rouge rolled her eyes at his stricken expression and thrusted one of the glasses towards him. "Get over it, you big baby."  
Shadow scowled, snatching the drink from her hand and gulping it down quickly. The demoness sipped her own water slowly and elegantly. "... Feel a bit better?"  
"No." Shadow growled, setting his now empty cup on the table. Rolling her eyes, the she-demon set her own half finished cup on the counter she was leaning against. "Well, now that you've sort of, but not really, calmed down, would you care to listen to my thoughts on where Fuzzball might be?"  
Shadow chuckled at the kid's nickname. It had been an appropriate choice, due to his shocking bed head.  
"Sure. Let's hear 'em."  
Mirroring her partner's cross armed position, and pushing her ample bosom up in the process, the demoness said: "Do you remember Silver's question four years ago?"  
"... The one about your weird choice in underwear?"  
Rouge gave him a withering look. "No, dipstick. When he asked you to teach him to be a hunter."  
Shadow shrugged. "It was actually a plead, rather than a question."  
He received an unamused glare.  
"Sorry. Continue."  
"Okay. Then, do you remember his reason?"  
A single nod from the hunter. "Of course. He said he was doing it for a friend. ... Is there a point to playing Twenty Questions?"  
"I'm getting there!" Rouge snapped. Now it was Shadow's turn to hold up his hands in surrender and peace. Once she was certain she would not be interrupted again, the demoness continued. "We found him in Hell, remember?" _'Duh.'_  
A silent nod in response.  
"So... I think that's where he went."  
Shadow's brow furrowed. "I guess that's sensible... To an extent."  
One slender white eyebrow arched. "Oh?"  
"The hell monkeys attacked him; that means he's not welcome down there. ... He probably pissed off Fleming."  
"Or attacked him." Added Rouge. "Making him demon enemy number one."  
The demon hunter groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Stupid brat..."  
"You're just as stupid."  
Shadow glared at the demoness through the gaps between his fingers. She smirked back. "Just saying."  
"Well don't." Said the raven haired man flatly. Rouge shrugged and sipped the last of her water. Once the cup was drained, she put it in the sink. "... What, no giddy up and go? I thought we had to find the kid urgently."  
"I know, I know." Shadow sighed. "I'm just turning over the possibility that he might not be down in Hell..."  
He received a disbelieving stare. "Are you serious? Shadow, quit being naïve. We both know he's down there."  
Scratching at the back of his head, the demon hunter released another sigh. "Okay. Fine. Whatever. Let's hurry up and gear up, then."  
A grin split the demoness' face. "That's more like it, Shady!"

Fifteen minutes later saw the demon slaying pair dressed and packing heat, and standing in an alley a few blocks away from the apartment.  
"All clear."  
Despite Rouge keeping a good lookout, Shadow still cast a furtive glance about him. If he was seen by any demons besides his partner, he would be attacked on sight. Worse still, the hell monkeys would likely report their findings to the big bosses- Fleming, or his current competitor for the spot of top demon, Black Doom- and ruin their element of surprise.  
A low growl rumbled in his chest.  
"Shadow, hurry up!"  
Wasting no more time, the crimson eyed hunter concentrated on creating a small glowing sphere in his palm. When it formed it was opaque, shot through with random thin streaks of colour; predominately red. As he held the sphere, Shadow focused on the image of Hell's massive gates. The ball quickly grew in size and bigger, thicker streaks of red lashed across its surface. He held the ball for another five seconds before throwing it at the wall.  
On impact, the shape of the ball distorted into that of an archway. Blinding bright light spewed out from this archway.  
With a rustle of bat wings and a clicking of heels, Rouge landed next to him. "Let's go, hon. There are people coming our way."  
Shadow nodded. "Right. Go Maidenhead; the other side might be full of expectant hell monkeys again."  
"You got it, big boy."  
He grasped her hand, and with a flash of magenta on Rouge's part, was holding the requested gun.  
Shadow walked through the portal.

* * *

**A/N: They're off to find the Fuzzball~! The wonderful Fuzzball of... something.**

**See you all whenever I finish the next chapter!8,)**


End file.
